The Hart of the Matter: Women in athletics deserve better representation
The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games recently began, and my eyes have been glued to the television ever since. I wanted to ignore the politics and just “ooh” and “aah” at every perfectly executed triple axel, but the reality of the way the international competition is run cannot be hidden.
I grew up seeing the Olympic season as a time of wonder and amazement, marvelling at the most talented athletes in the world.
The Olympics were also a time whenI saw people like me. Throughout the rest of the year, screens around me were always showing men’s football, men’s basketball and men’s baseball. During the Olympics, I got to see women taking center stage, inspiring me to pursue athletics.
My wonderment towards the Olympics made it hard to recognize its fundamental issues. There is a real gender disparity within the international competition, and it breeds a hostile environment towards women.
Women make up almost half of the athletes in the Olympics. This fact is touted as a success as a representation of sexism within sports disappearing as we progress towards equality.
While the gender ratio among athletes is close to equal, the Olympics as an organization is not. Women only make up a fifth of the members of the National Olympic Committee Executive Board, a fourth of the International Olympic Committee Executive Board and 15 percent of the International Federation Executive Board in 2015, according to the official Olympics website.
The fact that a group of only 20 percent is representing a group of almost 50 percent is a red flag in itself, and the the issue manifests into situations such as the Larry Nassar scandal.
Nassar was a doctor for the U.S.A. gymnastics team who was recently sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison on criminal sexual assault charges, according to TIME magazine. He was accused of the offenses by over 100 athletes, most of whom were underaged. His abuse was brought to light by high-profile Olympian gymnasts from the U.S., such as Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, whose testimonies dated back through years of abuse.
Assuits were taken out against Nassar himself by his victims, those who endured his abuse also filed lawsuits against USA Gymnastics, for lack of sufficient action in regards to the reports of sexual assault.
After the Nassar trial, the chairman, vice chairman and secretary of the board of USA Gymnastics resigned, according to the New York Times. Kerry Perry is the new CEO and president.
“New board leadership is necessary because the current leaders have been focused on establishing that they did nothing wrong,” the United States Olympic Committee’s chief executive Scott Blackmun said in a statement. “The Olympic family failed these athletes and we must continue to take every step necessary to ensure this never happens again.”
Larry Nassar’s years of inflicting abuse are a product of what happens when female athletes are represented by a board of men. USA Gymnastics and the Olympic committee made the correct decision in replacing these complacent men with a Perry, woman who understands the issues that women face.
However, Larry Nassar is not alone, and his years of molesting are not an isolated event. Until the Olympic Committee Boards are equal, the Olympics are not equal.
Dulce • Mar 1, 2018 at 8:53 pm
Stop trying to fight windmills Don Quixote.
Instead of focusing on this rubbish why not focus on real problems like women being ravaged and beaten in places like Pakistan and India, I mean Jesus women’s sports are just boring I can’t even watch a game of volleyball and that’s supposed to be entertaining for obvious reasons.
_ • Feb 27, 2018 at 9:55 am
First of all, are you aware that the Olympic Committee is among the most corrupt organizations currently operating on the face of this planet. Common knowledge, yet you expect some kind of moral change? It’s not going to happen.
Furthermore, you complain about the polarization of genders in sports. The reason for this is because many women’s sports are simply not as interesting to watch. Men’s basketball, for instance, has a much more engaging display of athleticism. Would you rather watch players leap through the air to dunk a ball, or would you rather watch the female equivalent? While watching women’s sports for the sake of watching is not uncommon, there are some athletic differences that make the divide here. You will find a greater selection of tall, athletic men fit for the sport compared to women. It’s how humans evolved, nothing we can do about it. TV stations are interested in profits and viewer count, not equality. Therefore, the polarity is due to human biology, not because of their natural tendency for gender bias.
And despite all this, you have quite the nerve to politicize this matter. Most others in this country appreciate the athletic spectacle for what it is. You claim you don’t want to politicize it. Yet it is YOU who is making this a political matter, when the rest of the world watches it for the sport and competition. A feeble display of hypocrisy.
Anonymous • Feb 17, 2018 at 2:35 pm
I know you want gender communism but instead of trying to achieve equal representation, why not use a meritocratic system that puts responsible, capable, and smart people in charge of the Olympic committee. You can’t stop people like Nassar by intentionally putting more women in charge, you stop him by putting people willing to to take action against sexual harassment, whether they be men or women.